Celtic summer signing Hatem Abd Elhamed has admitted that he enjoys having to battle it out for a first-team place.
Elhamed, who joined the Hoops from Hapoel Be’er Sheva, is currently Celtic’s first choice right-back. However, he has competition for his place from Stoke City’s Mortiz Bauer, who joined the Hoops on loan from Stoke.
However, Elhamed thinks the competition for a place in the first-team is a good thing, for the players and the team overall.
“It makes you better”
“At big clubs you always have competition. You should have 2 or 3 good players in each position, it’s something positive. It makes you better as a player” he told the Hoops’ Twitter account.
Elhamed’s attitude is one that should be adopted by more professional footballers. They should see the challenge to get in the first-team as a good thing.
Replacement is waiting in the wings
That will be one of the main reasons why Elhamed’s performances for the Hoops have been so impressive. He knows that should he not keep up his high standards, then Bauer will be waiting in the wings to take his place in the side.
Celtic had been notoriously lacking in full-back areas in recent seasons, it seemed that Kieran Tierney and Mikael Lustig were the only options in recent seasons.
That has changed completely now, as the Hoops have options in both full-back positions. That is a good thing for the club, and Elhamed seems to agree, judging by his comments. The challenge is keeping him on his toes. He has to keep playing well, or he’ll be out of the team.
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